Journalists from MS NOW, CNN and Politico were denied access to the White House grounds Saturday, a day after President Donald Trump said on social media that he had banned the news outlets over what he called their “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS.”MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner said her White House badge did not work when she arrived Saturday morning and that she was asked to hand it over to security.CNN reporter Betsy Klein was later turned away when she attempted to enter the grounds, and Politico’s Cheyenne Haslett was also denied access.The White House is facing mounting accusations that it violated the First Amendment with the move.
Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, told NBC News that it was “pretty clearly unconstitutional” and predicted that a potential legal challenge would succeed.Of the multiple, high-level current and former White House staff members who spoke to NBC News, none said they were aware of Trump’s plan ahead of time.Ed Sheeran calls situation in Gaza ‘unjustifiable’ in first concert since Macklemore controversyEd Sheeran performs at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday.Nicole Acevedo / NBC NewsEd Sheeran addressed the situation in Gaza during his first concert since artist Macklemore was dropped as an opening act.The singer said Saturday that the Oct.7 attacks on Israel were “horrific” but that the plight of civilians in Gaza is “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.” Sheeran also acknowledged that some of his decisions were mistakes and apologized, adding that he will continue the tour to honor his commitment to fans.Ahead of the show, dozens of people gathered outside the stadium to participate in a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
One man told NBC News he was there to take a stand against “an unjustifiable attempt to squelch free speech,” referring to Macklemore’s removal.But others were unperturbed by the controversy.“...